Sprint Offering Free Year of Unlimited Service to Switchers

[biracialfamily91]

Holy crap, Sprint must be desperate as hell. Oh, and there is no way I'm giving up AT&T for Sprint nor T-mobile's crappy service.

While T- Mobile does not have the best coverage, They are improving, which is why we're with them. Sprint on the other hand have not improved in our area at all, In fact, it got worse.

My Grandmother is still on Sprint and is always complaining about how her service is subpar, but refuses to change providers because she's cheap.

 

[bigjnyc]

If you don’t have a sprint compatible phone this is a horrible deal. For example I have 5 lines none of which have a sprint compatible iPhone. I’d have to buy or lease 5 new phones.... that would add up to paying for their cheap service

 

[FelixDerKater]

This is beginning to remind me of the early 90's when AT&T, Sprint, MCI, etc. would call every night offering checks to switch.

 

[joueboy]

I might consider this considering my current carrier doesn't do anything for their loyal customers. I tried to ask T-Mobile if I can take advantage of $140 for 4 lines. They told for new customers only. That's $1920 savings right there for my family if I go to Sprint. Maybe get a Cricket Wireless for backup in case no coverage in certain areas.

 

[2010mini]

Not really.
[doublepost=1497393899][/doublepost]
I'm sorry but ATT is terrible in NYC. ATT doesn't ever upgrade their network. They don't even get LTE speeds yet it says LTE on my phone. I'm tempted to jump to Verizon or TMobile. I'll consider Sprint but not seriously.

I'm on ATT. I live in LI and travel all over NYC. never had issues with streaming.
[doublepost=1497405424][/doublepost]

FU Sprint. Never again.

Tell us how you really feel

 

[macbookguy]

This will really put everyone who said "I wouldn't use Sprint even if it was free" to the test.

...not so much.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I'm on ATT. I live in LI and travel all over NYC. never had issues with streaming.
[doublepost=1497405424][/doublepost]

Tell us how you really feel

The service here in NYC is embarrassingly bad. ATT used to be hands down the best but they just refuse to provide good service anymore. I don't know anyone who is still using ATT in NYC.

 

[MrCornfed]

This will really put everyone who said "I wouldn't use Sprint even if it was free" to the test.

I got burned with their cut your bill in half promotion. I think I lasted 4 months before I went running to Verizon.

Can't say I wasn't warned, but I figured it can't be that bad, can it?

Sprint couldn't pay me to come back to them.

 

[im_to_hyper]

This will really put everyone who said "I wouldn't use Sprint even if it was free" to the test.

Being one of those people who converted from Sprint to Verizon because "I wouldn't switch back even if it were free" has me thinking "hmmmm. Free may have its benefits."

But then if I want to switch to the new iPhone in October, I'm not sure I would want to upgrade and stay with Sprint.

I would also lose my device protection plan!

 

[Michael Scrip]

I got burned with their cut your bill in half promotion. I think I lasted 4 months before I went running to Verizon.

Can't say I wasn't warned, but I figured it can't be that bad, can it?

Sprint couldn't pay me to come back to them.

They're running out of options.

First, Sprint was cheaper than the other guys.

Now, they're giving you a year of service for essentially "free"

All they can do next is say "we'll PAY you to use us! Please!"

 

[Suprdave71]

Hate to be the lone wolf, but: I switched from Sprint to Verizon a few months back - just got married, so I switched to The Network since my wife was already on it.

It sucks. I can truly, honestly say that my service was better and more reliable with Sprint. Not at first, but the service vastly improved over the year I was with them. Verizon constantly lags, forces me to find wifi so that I can use the Internet. Forget streaming video with it, it's unusable.

I'm definitely going to look into switching back.

 

[BeforeTheMeds]

I tried sprint one time, company discount, It was a trial deal. Had a certain amount ot time to return it and get out. I only lasted a few days. Service was the only thing worse than the coverage. The only time I tried them.

T mobile is the only one that meets my needs right now, regularly out of the country, and have great coverage where I go in the us. Have to live with the bad customer service until something better comes along. Sprints 2g out of the country would be a disaster, 3g here is unusable. I would hate to have to use 2g. T mobile is at least unlimited LTE here as in the us.

Verizon I tried once also, was really bad where I lived. Sent me sims with numbers in another state, said it was where the closest office was. Never told me that up front.

I had att back when they were southwestern bell, they gobbled up everyone else I used at some point. Service took a nosedive immediately afterward. Att was great before cingular swallowed them up.

Ah, well. Keep hoping for that perfect carrier.

 

[jermwhl]

I didn't get a Sprint/Verizon iPhone, so I'm out. Although it IS tempting to switch, 2 of my 4 lines are not CDMA compatible. Plus, I travel a lot overseas and T-Mobile works just about everywhere I go, albeit at 2G speeds. But unlimited text/data overseas is something I like. And honestly, 2G is good enough to get text/imessages out until I get to a hotel where I can connect to WiFi. While stateside, T-Mobile has great coverage in San Diego area. I've noticed it isn't as great on the east coast. I assume all networks are like this - better coverage in certain areas. I had Verizon for awhile and they sucked in San Diego (specifically where I lived), which is why I dumped them and went back to T-mobile.
Like others have stated, I read this more of a sign of desperation. I wonder if the next step is a merger with another provider.
[doublepost=1497414011][/doublepost]

T mobile is the only one that meets my needs right now, regularly out of the country, and have great coverage where I go in the us. Have to live with the bad customer service until something better comes along. Sprints 2g out of the country would be a disaster, 3g here is unusable. I would hate to have to use 2g. T mobile is at least unlimited LTE here as in the us.

Have you considered Google FI (https://fi.google.com/about/)? I'm curious about it. I believe you can get it to work on an iPhone, but have to "activate" the SIM on a compatible phone. Otherwise, you get 4G internet overseas, which would be sweet. I'm just worried how much data I'd use. $10/gig would add up quickly, I would think. Currently, since my LTE is unlimited, I don't pay attention to how much I actually use.

 

[Blackstick]

I worked for Apple for 7 years in their retail stores as a Mac Genius. In that time, at least 75% of the phone customers we saw reporting iPhone reception issues were on Sprint. It is and has always been subpar cellular service in multiple markets, and I never saw them get better either.

 

[macaddiict]

I'm surprised by the reactions people are having to this... is it really worth having 24x7 access to a "perfect" signal worth ~$1,000 a year to you? I have Verizon on one iPhone and AT&T on another iPhone and I don't notice much of a difference between the two. Now and then I find a place where the AT&T phone has service and the Verizon doesn't ... other times, Verizon works and AT&T doesn't. Most of the time they both work fine.

I had Sprint for about 8 years before switching to iPhone and it worked fine for me - good, even. I could drive 8 hours/500 miles from Lubbock, TX to OKC, OK and there was only about a 2 mile stretch where it would drop a call. Literally the rest of the way I could be on the phone without any problems.

If I worked or lived or often traveled somewhere that had no Sprint service, I would not go with Sprint. Same with any other carrier. Verizon (and others) do not have some magical ability to deliver a flawless signal everywhere.

That being said, what is the worst that can happen? This is free other than taxes and fees. I'll be saving enough to buy a used MacBook or buy a new phone outright.

And for those who are saying how desperate Sprint must be, I think you should try the math. Most carriers (Verizon included) have been offering up to $650 toward each line that gets ported in. Those carriers often can be out the $650 per line with no guarantee people will stay with the service after their phones/ETFs get paid off. Sprint, on the other hand, can pay out this user acquisition fee over time by spreading the cost over 1 year. The terms of the agreement also means Sprint won't be doing any sort of promotion related to discounted phones or financed phones for 4 months, which likely means the new iPhones will come out in the meantime. This gives Sprint time to get new iPhones to their long term paying customers and then in 4 months, a lot of people who signed up for this free offer will be so interested the new iPhones that they'll buy a new iPhone through Sprint.

I don't know if this will work out for Sprint in the long run, but I talked to a few people I know who have Sprint around here who said it worked well for them and put in my order tonight for two SIM cards for our paid-off iPhones. I look forward to no cell phone bill for a year! And if it doesn't work out, the most I'll be out is an hour or so of time and some activation fees. Seems worth it to me.

(Not to mention the goodwill Sprint will build up with customers by offering them free service for a year. If that doesn't buy loyalty, what does?)

 

[WatchFromAfar]

I don't understand the hatred towards this Sprint offer on this forum. You don't like Sprint? fine, don't take them up on this offer, good for you. Does it make you feel superior pointing out that other networks have better coverage? well then you clearly have other problems....

 

[democracyrules]

It's not just Sprint. I had to drop T-Mobile because it's coverage was so poor for me.

Nothing beats Verizon's coverage but you pay for it.
[doublepost=1497397534][/doublepost]

T-Mobile may have great service and lower rates but it's actual coverage map for me was abysmal.
[doublepost=1497397699][/doublepost]

I think the upside of "free" trumps the downside .

Agree with the comment above as I was in the same boat. TMobile looks great but after experiencing with connection problems in door, building and elevator, that is a deal breaker. TMobile is so desperate to get customers by slamming and blasting Verizon because TMobile knows Verizon is the best in US and they try to cover it up. Sprint is the worst of all. No matter what TMobie and Sprint offer, smart customers will not change the carriers they have unless both TMobile and Sprint could match ATT and Verizon on every way, NOT portions of their best.
[doublepost=1497438977][/doublepost]

Clearly you know nothing about T-Mobile's GREAT service.

TMobile only has a great service on a small portions of what Verizon has (download speed and great signal on metropolitan only which are limited coverage area) that is why TMobile can over cheaper price.

 

[blcamp]

This will really put everyone who said "I wouldn't use Sprint even if it was free" to the test.

I will pass the test with flying colors.

I was with Nextel (and then Sprint, post-merger) from 1996-2010. Nextel was outstanding, Sprint sucked. In my experience there are fewer companies with worse service... both customer service and the actual communications product (after I was migrated over from the legacy Nextel network). Just awful.

In early 2016 I had left AT&T briefly to go back to Sprint to take advantage of promotion pricing, but my then-iPhone 6 never got more than 2 bars of 3G service.

Now that Sprint is offering "free" service, I'm STILL not interested.

 

[bbeagle]

Clearly you know nothing about T-Mobile's GREAT service.

Everything is regional. T-Mobile might be great where you live, but is horrible where I live.
[doublepost=1497443698][/doublepost]It's actually not FREE.

It's $1.99 a month plus taxes (based on the original amount). So, probably close to $15-$20 a month.
Plus $30 activation fee, plus $13 for the sim card + taxes, so an additional $45 per line.

 

[aarond12]

This will really put everyone who said "I wouldn't use Sprint even if it was free" to the test.

Given that Sprint Corporate stole my identity (yes, I have proof and they admitted it), no I will never use Sprint, even if it is free.

 

[bbeagle]

What if you're already a Sprint customer?

Can you just cancel your account, buy an old Verizon iPhone 5C (or other compatible phone), then sign up for this deal? (Maybe in the wife's name if you have to)

Or do they check to see if you are already a Verizon or AT&T customer?

 

[JM]

At price of free, they'll get some people to stay onboard if they live in an area where it's coverage is "good enough".

 

[supremedesigner]

Eh, I wouldn't try their promotion.

Frankly, to be honest, all carriers do sucks. Some people would say Carrier A is awesome while other say Carrier A sucks. Same difference but different location lol

I never understood why carrier pricing are more expensive than house internet pricing? lol

 

[burgman]

Hate to be the lone wolf, but: I switched from Sprint to Verizon a few months back - just got married, so I switched to The Network since my wife was already on it.

It sucks. I can truly, honestly say that my service was better and more reliable with Sprint. Not at first, but the service vastly improved over the year I was with them. Verizon constantly lags, forces me to find wifi so that I can use the Internet. Forget streaming video with it, it's unusable.

I'm definitely going to look into switching back.

Location, location, location. Sadly Sprint sucks in more of them than Verizon. YMMV

 

[klymr]

I'm surprised by the reactions people are having to this... is it really worth having 24x7 access to a "perfect" signal worth ~$1,000 a year to you?...

Short answer, yes. I was a Sprint customer for the better part of eight years. I watched their network in my area slowly deteriorate to the point that it is almost unusable.

I got married in April and we moved into a new house. I quite literally had almost no coverage (0.02-0.04 Mbps down on multiple speed tests), despite living almost in the center of town (four blocks off the main road). We switched to T-Mobile and had great success. Sadly, when I returned to work after that weekend I found out the hard way that there was zero coverage there. When I got home from work that Monday afternoon, we switched to Verizon. Works good both at home and work (and nearly everywhere in-between). One network was extremely poor for 12 hours a day, and only fair for the other 12. The other network was great for 12 hours a day, and nonexistent for the other 12. On Verizon I have a good to great signal almost 24x7.